Audrey Hepburn once said: “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others”. We at 24 fingers towers agree, so you can imagine how thrilled we are that our Emma Goode has been appointed by Facebook as an Official Trainer for the UK’s #SheMeansBusiness campaign.

Supporting our team as well as our wide network of clients and colleagues is fundamental to who we are as a business and we grab every opportunity to extend that helping hand as far as possible. 

Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness campaign, supported by Enterprise Nation, delivers social media training to female-led businesses to help them grow online. Since launching in 2016, it has trained one million women in 38 markets. 

It showcases established business leaders and up-and-coming female entrepreneurs telling their stories about building resilience both for yourself and your business during changing times. 

“I am excited to deliver a vibrant calendar of virtual training and events throughout the year and meet trailblazers who are pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible for women in business,” Emma said.  

Check out the #SheMeansBusiness campaign page and we’ll keep you up to date with the latest updates.

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

We love the thrill and buzz of social media here at 24 fingers towers, everyone knows that. But the biggest buzz? Watching a small business owner go from barely understanding what Facebook does to reaping the rewards of a successful ad campaign, or another who, in the real world is quite shy, but strides Instagram like Beyonce when it comes to marketing their product.  Imagine the cheer that went round the office then, after Emma was invited to take part in Reputation’s Transform21 event in June for Europe.

It’s a three-hour, action-packed virtual event that includes keynote speakers from Google and Forrester, followed by breakout sessions hosted by marketing and customer experience leaders – including Emma – answering people’s most pressing questions. 

Whether you’re drowning in data, struggling to turn customer feedback into sales, or managing too many tools, Transform21 aims to gather the biggest pain points and provide insights and actionable takeaways. After all, who doesn’t want to know how their brand is being perceived on social media? (Ed’s note: nobody, that’s who).

“I’m delighted to have been invited to this amazing event,” said Emma, who is a panellist in the ‘How Can I Do More with the Reputation Platform?’ breakout session. Having been a long-term user of social media platform Nuvi, the company has experienced first-hand the benefits of having rich data insights at its (err) fingerstips and I’m looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned along the way.”

Transform21 will be held on Tuesday 8th June from 9:30am-12:30pm. You can register for free here. 

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

If there’s one thing you have to be good at in business, it’s making connections: whether it’s communicating with customers or chatting to supplier partners, relationships are the grease that keep the wheels of industry moving. 

That’s all very well when it comes to face-to-face meetings, but the past year or so has made that almost impossible, and even as we emerge from lockdown, the new normal will stay that way for a while. 

So, digital communication is still massively important, which is great if you’re tech savvy – but what about those business owners who aren’t? Don’t worry – our Emma’s coming to your rescue. 

She’s among the Vodafone Business V-Hub advisers for the Enterprise Nation business.connected programme, an initiative launched by Enterprise Nation in partnership with the telco. 

It’s a free 12-month programme, delivered exclusively online, featuring workshops, webinars and e-learning modules, and aimed at empowering businesses to kickstart digital change, adopt new technology and stay safe online, whether you’re new to digital or want to flex your muscles.

As a Vodafone Business V-Hub adviser, Emma will offer guidance on digital marketing, but the programme will cover everything from social media to online security.  

“I’m thrilled to be taking part in such an important programme,” said Emma. “There are so many benefits Save to social media for small business owners, and I can’t wait to start helping people get the most of this incredible resource.”

Small businesses can sign up to workshops and webinars from the Enterprise Nation business.connected programme now, with e-learning courses launching on the Enterprise Nation platform on Thursday, 27 May.

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

It’s a documented fact that we LOVE a good natter here at 24 fingers towers, but Norwich-based Kay Skelton might just take it to another level. She’s a self-confessed networking junkie and loves interacting with people. 

So we couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s joining our ranks as a client relationship manager. “I call customers and chat about services they have had, products bought, or just for a quick ‘Hi, how’s it going? Are you keeping well and is there anything we can help you with?'” Kay said. 

She describes herself as a ‘client whisperer’ (who’s now thinking about horses and Robert Redford’s bum in jeans?). If ever she swapped her idyllic family life for a spell in Hollywood and met Tom Cruise in a lift, he’d better think fast because she’d definitely bend his ear about his fave actresses and broken bones and THEN ask for his phone number… 

But back to business. “I was introduced to Emma via a lady I met at a Heads-Up networking meeting, the lovely Kathy Ennis.” Kay said. 

“Emma values the personal touch in her business and sees the value in keeping in touch with her clients. I’m really excited to be working with Emma – her enthusiasm and personality are very infectious.” 

We can’t wait to get started either – bring on the mojitos, Aperol Spritzes or the G&Ts (she’s not fussy) and welcome to the team Kay. 

If 2020 taught us anything, it was that the small and medium business owners are a resilient, quick-thinking bunch. When Covid smacked a massive hole through everyone’s plans, this community rolled up its sleeves and got stuck in, supporting others while pivoting themselves. Talk about inspirational. 

Now, as the world ever-so-slowly returns to some degree of normal, the King’s Lynn BID (the area’s Business Improvement District) is doing its bit to help entrepreneurs refocus, recover and grow – and we’re proud to share that 24 fingers has been invited to support.

We’re one of the companies featured in the King’s Lynn BID Business Support Package: Refocus, Recover & Grow, a scheme aimed at connecting BID members with professionals who can help their businesses survive and thrive, even in today’s challenging economic environment. 

Business owners who aren’t sure of what help they need can browse the list on the Discover King’s Lynn website and contact anyone who catches their eye, or they can attend free short webinars offering a flavour of the areas the businesses in the group cover, from branding and business strategy, to social media and advertising. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our wide range of expertise to businesses in the King’s Lynn region,” said Emma Goode. 

“The thought of revamping or refocusing a business at the best of times can be an intimidating task, but after the upheaval of last year, the King’s Lynn BID’s  Business Support Package is a brilliant way to help entrepreneurs get back on their feet or find new avenues to explore. We can’t wait to start supporting.”

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here

It’s fair to say there’s been a LOT going on in the news lately, and there’s been no escaping who and what has been grabbing the headlines. So you can be forgiven for not being abreast of every story in the paper or on the web. 

Just when it feels like we’re all up to our necks in doom and gloom, let us at 24 fingers bring you some boooom with a bit of really fantastic news about the Top 50 Adviser Awards.

We’re thrilled to say the annual competition, run in association with Enterprise Nation, Xero, Dell Technologies and Neat, has been launched and what better way to celebrate the UK’s unsung business heroes? 

Hard-working advisers, like our brilliant Emma Goode, are supporting and guiding small businesses up and down the country, helping them ride out and even emerge stronger from the storm.

Businesspeople are invited to nominate their most valued advisers across 10 professional categories in the Top 50 Adviser Awards. There’s also the Above and Beyond award, newly introduced for 2020, recognising those advisers who have pulled out all the stops and then some more to help small business owners navigate these trickiest of times. 

Of course we at 24 fingers would LOVE it if you voted for Emma for the marketing category. You, your friends, fellow entrepreneurs, colleagues or the dog – get everyone you know to nominate us – can vote at www.enterprisenation.com/top50. You’ll need:

The deadline for entries is 26th October, and two days later judges, Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation, Jo Sealy, director of To Market, Daniel Harrison, deputy director of SME policy, BEIS, Ann Francke, CEO of CMI and Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association, will review the Top 50 shortlist.

On 4th November the judges’ Top 50 will be announced and the great British public has until 18 November to vote. A glitzy virtual awards ceremony will be held on 25th November – champagne on standby 🙈

Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation and member of the judging panel, said: “We know from more than 300,000 small businesses who have visited our platform in the past six months, just how invaluable the advice of professional experts can be – especially in these difficult times, Now more than ever, it can mean the difference between their business surviving or thriving.

“The aim of the Top 50 Adviser Awards is to showcase and celebrate the vital behind-the-scenes work of these unsung heroes, while also raising awareness of, and encouraging more small businesses to access trusted and affordable professional support.”

If we’ve supported you at all, either at one of the Essex meet-ups (and thanks to everyone who came along this month ), at one of our social media workshops, or through our professional connection, we’d love it if you could nominate Emma here www.enterprisenation.com/top50. Like we’d really love it 🙏🙏

We all know data is the new gold in this digital age, and many people are – quite rightly – more protective of their personal information than ever. In 2018, EU implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (better known as GDPR), legislation that required businesses to secure users’ permission to collect their data online for marketing purposes – and nothing else.

GDPR demands that: “consent of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.”

Dontcha just love legalspeak? If that sounds like gobbledygook, fear not – here are our 10 tips to mastering GDPR compliance when marketing.

Unbundled
When requesting consent, it MUST be separate from your other terms and conditions. Businesses or marketers can no longer make it a prerequisite to signing up for a service. Check boxes or sliders work equally as well.

Active
Blank, opt-in boxes or a similar unambiguous method in which the choice is equally prominent must be used, so users actively elect to give consent. Pre-ticked, opt-in boxes are no longer valid under GDPR.

Clear
The request for consent must be phrased or written in a way that’s easy to understand. Confusing or vague demands will not pass muster.

Granular
Additional choices, known as granular options, must be offered when possible, so customers can give their consent to all the separate ways you intend to use their data. You can offer a list of options with check boxes, and ALWAYS include the ability to say no.

Named
The name of your company, as well as any third party whose consent you’re asking on behalf of, must be clearly given, so customers are fully informed about who is accessing their data.

Easy to withdraw
Consent must be easy to withdraw and customers should be made aware of how to do this. Always have the unsubscribe button in plain sight.

Documented
A record of what each person has consented to, what they were told, and when and how they consented must be kept.

Data minimisation
Make auditing and erasing the data you no longer need a part of the day-to-day or month-to-month operations, and keep only what you need for your business to function.

Ongoing compliance
GDPR is not a one-shot deal. As your business evolves and new systems are added, you’ll need to examine what impact they have on customers and ensure your firm remains compliant.

Confidence is key
Despite all the scary talk when it first emerged, GDPR isn’t something for businesses to be frightened of. In fact, it’s actually helped build trust with customers, as 62% are more willing to share their data if GDPR is explained to them, according to Digital Marketing Association.

If you’re still concerned about getting GDPR right, don’t worry – talk to us at 24 fingers and we’ll get you on the right regulatory track tout de suite.

If the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it’s that human beings are pretty decent when it comes down to the nitty gritty. From 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore raising millions for the NHS by walking lengths of his garden, to the simple act of stepping out to applaud frontline workers, people have come together like never before during this crisis. 

It’s not just been individuals who have gone the extra mile. Businesses and brands have been quick to get in on the social media action, and who can blame them for wanting a slice of this particular feelgood pie?  Everywhere you look there are efforts, big and small to support others during the coronavirus crisis. 

Showing off their big hearts and even deeper pockets are the likes of Google, which donated a hefty $250 million in ad grants to the World Health Organisation and government agencies, while the BP Foundation gave $2 million to the World Health Organisation’s Solidarity Response Fund. 

Proving there’s more to them than tasty meatballs, furniture retailer Ikea has pledged around $28 million to help high-risk groups across 30 countries. 

We heartily approve of branding goddesses Khloe and Kim Kardashian demonstrating an awareness of the world beyond their shapely derrieres. The reality stars are donating a percentage of sales from their Good American and Cotton Collections, respectively, to the charity Baby2Baby, which provides children living in poverty with their basic essentials. 

Publisher Penguin Random House has donated a whopping 750,000 books to support young children in the US affected by school closures – so they’ll have no excuse for not doing their homework, and over in Spain, Cabify for Heroes has given free transport to medical workers in Madrid. 

Penguin Random House Donates 750,000 Books To First Book https://t.co/vfJRt4nclo @FirstBook #books #reading pic.twitter.com/ul2etX0F30

— Library Journal (@LibraryJournal) April 21, 2020

But it’s not just massive international efforts that are rocking our world. Other brands are focusing much closer to home.  Aldi has set up a voucher scheme aimed at vulnerable people who can’t get out and about during lockdown. They can buy a voucher and post it to a family member or friend, who can use it to do their shopping. Genius. 

Introducing the Aldi Vouchers. Our way of helping you shop safer, for you and your loved ones. Find out which one’s for you here: https://t.co/r7MRg1dOTA pic.twitter.com/RuwdGNNmpy

— Aldi Stores UK (@AldiUK) April 28, 2020

Feeding NHS staff was one of the easiest ways to show their support and Pret was one of the first to extend an offer of free or discounted munchies to health workers. 

This one is on us 💚 pic.twitter.com/gDLiZEuQi7

— Pret (@Pret) March 18, 2020

Bosses at UK mobile network Giffgaff clearly thought along practical lines, and gave free access to NHS websites and the 111 number free to all its members, and also set up a neighbourly fund, kicking off with a £75k donation. 

Electric bike retailer Fully Charged offered its e-bikes to hospital workers in London free of charge for three months to help them avoid disrupted public transport, while those in the capital can raise a glass to London brewery Toast Ale. It switched to an online service, offering free deliveries to firms giving staff a virtual after-work drinks party, while all profits to the food charity Feedback. 

Buy a beer & help feed those in need.
The proceeds from every single beer bought from our online shop will go directly to feeding local communities.

To put it simply, 1 beer = 1 meal.

So stock up & help someone today: https://t.co/6S3XgirA3Q.
Free delivery on all orders. pic.twitter.com/cpRv7wVIYk

— Toast Ale (@ToastAle) April 3, 2020

Nobody’s letting the arts slip either, as we enjoy our enforced couch potato-dom. Apart from Matt Lucas’ earwormy (but very clever) Baked Potato song – and now book – raising squillions for the NHS – music lovers haven’t been left in the lurch by Essex start-up Hey Joe Music.

It had barely opened its doors before the lockdown hit, but bounced straight back by offering a home delivery for customers – booooom!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hey Joe (@heyjoemusicuk) on Apr 5, 2020 at 1:54am PDT

And before someone says it, nobody’s forgetting freelancers either…

Calling all businesses. We’re giving away £200 worth of Concierge Credits to hire amazing freelance talent. Let’s get things done! https://t.co/U5Cur0gkYz #UnitedInBusiness

— Freelancer Club (@freelancerclub) April 14, 2020

Those with creative flair have shown their hearts too. Artist Takashi Murakami partnered with streetwear brand Supreme to create a groovy T-shirt, sales of which have raised over $1 million for the charity Help USA, supporting people facing homelessness.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

HELP USA is deeply grateful to @supremenewyork for donating $1,052,040 in sales of their relief T-shirt to HELP USA’s #COVID-19 Emergency efforts and services for homeless families and individuals. This incredible gift comes in a time of our clients’ greatest need and supports our work nationally to provide the most vulnerable with a safe place to call home, food, and essential services during this crisis and beyond. #HELPHeroes #HELPisHere #dogoodfeelgood

A post shared by HELP USA (@helpusa) on May 4, 2020 at 6:02am PDT

The coronavirus crisis has brought out the best form of national pride too, and with VE day coming up, Brentwood Council’s among those eager to participate. Be there at midday on 8th May, don’t be square and don’t forget to have a (disposable) tissue at the ready. 

Friday 8th May marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
To celebrate this special occasion we have produced a commemorative video which will be available to all on Friday at 12pm, as Brentwood Borough Council Leader, Cllr Chris Hossack explains 🇬🇧#VEDay75 pic.twitter.com/DPbrmESFBn

— Brentwood Council (@Brentwood_BC) May 4, 2020

Still not inspired by the wave of love and goodness prompted by the coronavirus lockdown? Well all we can say is maybe you need to sing a rainbow…